MISCELLANY INC. EXPRESS NEWSPAPER EDITOR MAIL: 1925-1938 group of covers letter cards, maps, etc. Inc. 15 May 1925 red express env. produced for Newspaper Editors printed with "CORRESPONDENCE. IMPORTANT./SPECIAL NIGHT BOX", sent from South Africa to GB during Prince Edward's Royal Tour of South Africa, franked 6d pair + 2d pair cancelled by poor "SOUTH AFRICA/ROYAL TOUR" oval ds's, with orange "BY AIR MAIL/PER LUGPOS" label and purple "B. A. AIR MAIL/[date]/S. A. LUGPOS" cds on front; 31 Dec. 1936 Regd env. from Capetown to London sent on a trial flight aboard 'Castor' franked 5d (2d+2d+1d) meter mark, with purple "R Capetown/KAAPSTAD/No. 7491" hs; Great Western Air Services company label proof depicting the company logo, along with Railway Air Services composite map showing a variety of routes; plus other similar items inc. GPO Notices, Air Mail Rate leaflets, etc. (24 items) Cross Reference: AIRMAILS, ROYALTY, EXPRESS MAIL, MAPS (Image)

SEAHORSE 2s-6d SINGLE-FRANKING ON EXPRESS RAILWAY AIR SERVICES COVER; Attractive 30 Nov. 1934 env. to Wick with KGV Seahorse 2s-6d tied by "WILTON ROAD HUDSONS PLACE/S.W.1" cds and the boxed "RAS/3D PA[ID]" hs, having the Highland Airways 1st Flight label on reverse signed by the Pilot; carried on the first RAS flight from Croydon to Glasgow and then sent on the 1st Inverness to Wick flight. Rare thus; one of only 4 such covers flown. [A similar cover sold in our 24/1/2004 sale 650 lot 1196 for £850 + B.P.] Cross Reference: EXPRESS MAIL, AIRMAILS (Image)

KGV FRANKED AIRMAILS TO SOUTH AMERICA: 1936-39 group of covers on written-up display pages inc. 1939 env. (some foxing) to Brazil franked 2/6d Seahorse + 1/- tied by Southampton machine cancel with fine red "DEUTSCHE LUFTPOST/[airplane]/EUROPA-SUDAMERIKA" hs; 1939 printed env. to Chile franked 2/6d Seahorse + 3 x 1/- perfins with faint Deutsche Luftpost hs; plus other high frankings using KGV stamps to Brazil, Argentina, or Bolivia. (8 covers) (Image)

PRE- AND POST-WWII GB KGVI AIRMAILS: 1937-52 group containing PC rates, British Islands flights, etc. inc. Dec. 1950 Christmas 'Drop Mail' env. (one of four examples) flown from Kinross to the weather ship 'Weather Explorer' 200 miles south of Iceland, signed by pilot WCom Holgate DFC with purple oval Kinross ds, "1950 XMAS/DROP MAIL/28 DEC 1950" hs & v. fine blue oval "OCEAN WEATHER SERVICE/WEATHER EXPLORER" cachet initialled by Capt. Wilkinson (master of the ship); 2 July 1945 env. sent via British Airmail service from Stornoway to Glasgow (a one-way service) with onward transmission to Waterloo Station with "SCOTTISH AIRWAYS/LIMITED/AIR/LETTER/SERVICE" cachets (2 - one cancelling stamp & another at bottom left); 1 Feb. 1947 commercial env. sent via British European Airways from Stornoway to Glasgow for onward transmission to London, with "SCOTTISH AIRWAYS/LIMITED/AIR/LETTER/SERVICE" cachets (2) overstamped with ""BRITISH EUROPEAN AIRWAYS" cachets; and other similar examples. Also inc. 1937 leaflets advertising the locations of 'Blue Boxes' for posting Air Mail; plus 4 booklets detailing the rates for Air Mail from Oct. 1937-Oct. 1938. (24 covers, 6 leaflets + 4 booklets) Cross Reference: AIRMAILS (Image)

KGVI AIR CRASH MAIL: Scarce 1938-53 group of covers inc. 7 Feb. 1938 env. to Tunisia ex GB franked ½d + two other missing adhesives, with "ACCIDENT D'AVION/Correspondances recueilliesealler/NE PAS TAXER" hs at bottom. This cover was carried on Loire et Olivier F-ANPB 'Ville de Bone' piloted by P Burello - the plane took off in thick fog and was blown off course by strong wind, crashing into a breakwater and catching fire, killing 8 people; 10 Aug. 1939 env. to Switzerland ex GB franked 1d + 1½d, recovered from the wreck of the Imperial Airways 'Super Electra' and forwarded in Ambulance cover from Bern to Lucerne on 15 Aug. with red "Angebrannie Postsendung/Flugzeugunfall" cachet applied; plus other similar examples in Flying Boat crash, etc. (6 covers)Cross Reference: CRASH/WRECK MAIL (Image)

EMPIRE AIRS - TEST & TRIAL FLIGHTS, P.O. LEAFLETS, ETC.: 1937 group of covers & leaflets inc. 5 Jan. printed env. to Australia ex GB between offices of "W.J. Bush & Co. Ltd", franked 2/6d for the 1/3d per oz rate (1/-+1/-+6d) each perfinned by "WJB" initials, with Air Mail label affixed, sent prior to the 'Stage 3' project from London-Paris then by rail to Marseille where 'Castor' (on its return from Alexandria) picked up this mail to be flown by Imperial Airways to Australia; 2 Feb. Air Mail env. to GB ex Egypt franked 28ml (9ml+8ml+7ml+4ml) cancelled by Cairo cds's (3), carried aboard experimental flight on C-Class flying boat 'Castor' on the first 'all the way by air' service between Southampton-Alexandria, with typed ms "By Imperial Airways/First All-air service/from Egypt to England" in blue & red; plus other similar examples inc. carried aboard 'Cassiopea', 'Cygnus', 'Courtier' & 'Coriolanus'; and PO leaflets explaining the introduction of the air mail routes. [Many items ex Mike Shand, purchased in our Dec. 2013 auction] (8 covers, + 6 leaflets) Cross Reference: AIRMAILS, PERFINS (Image)

EMPIRE AIRS - STAGE 2 TO INDIA & MALAY STATES: 1938-9 group inc. 30 Aug. 1939 1½d P.Stat. env. to India ex Seaford, sent shortly before the outbreak of WWII (possibly the last flight to reach its destination at 1½d per ½oz rate), with censor tape applied to top and purple triangle "PASSED/CENSOR/4/KARACHI" cachet on front; 22 Feb. 1938 env. to Allahabad ex Kankroli sent via a new route aboard flying boat 'Coogie' from Karachi to Calcutta via Udaipur, Gwalior and Allahabad with typed "1st Flight: Udaipur-Allahabad./per Flying-Boat "Coogie"" and purple First Flight pictorial hs; plus other similar examples inc. mail carried aboard 'Camilla' & 'Coogie" Flying Boat services, Regd mail, and Feb. 1938 British Government White Paper setting out the particulars for the preliminary operation of the Scheme between GB & Malaya. (14 covers + 2 leaflets) Cross Reference: AIRMAILS, INDIA, P.O. NOTICES, PARLIAMENTARY (Image)

EMPIRE AIRS STAGE 3 - AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: 1938/9 group of covers & PCs inc. 26 June 1938 env. to Malvern, Australia ex GB franked 10d + 5d, with ms "ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA/FIRST SERVICE BY FLYING BOAT/ALL THE WAY" in ink with accompanying newspaper clipping about the flight; another env. carried aboard the same flight to Queensland via Rome ex Stockport with ms "1st 1½ Air Mail" in pencil, along with accompanying newspaper clipping about the transport of letters from KGVI to the Governor-General of Australia; 12 June 1939 env. to GB ex Adelaide via Darwin & Singapore carried aboard the 'Centurion' which crashed in the Hoogly River, with red "SALVAGED A L/EX CENTURIA" hs on front and GPO Returned Letter resealing label on reverse; plus other similar examples. (26 items) Cross Reference: CRASH/WRECK MAIL, RETURNED MAIL, AIRMAILS (Image)